Haqqani Network
Profile
The Haqqani Network is an Islamic extremist militant organization from the southeastern region of Loya Paktia in Afghanistan. The group is operational in both Loya Paktia and the northwestern FATA region in Pakistan. The network was an integral actor in the Quetta Shura Taliban's broader organized violence in the northern region of Afghanistan and its conquest of Kabul in 1996. The group also cultivated a closer, personal relationship with Osama bin Laden during this period. From 2001-21, the network sought to drive the U.S.-led NATO coalition out of Afghanistan and help re-establish Taliban rule in the country. Over the last decade, the Haqqani Network evolved from a relatively small, tribal-based jihadist network into one of South Asia's most influential terrorist organizations. It is mainly responsible for the most gruesome violence in Kabul and attacks against the NATO coalition. In August 2016, Sirajuddin Haqqani was named deputy to the newly appointed Afghan Taliban leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada. When the Taliban announced a new government in September 2021, several members of the Haqqani Network were given key ministerial positions, handing the terrorist group control of internal security in Afghanistan. The fall of Kabul was seen as a victory for the Haqqani Network and the group’s fighting force.
Structure
The core structure of the network is mainly familial and hierarchical. Many of the group’s prominent leaders graduated from the Dar al-Ulum Haqqaniyya madrassa in Pakistan. In 2015, Sirajuddin Haqqani was appointed to become a deputy to the Afghan Taliban, overseeing day-to-day military operations for the militant organization. Sirajuddin presided over a shift toward a far more violent, politically ambitious organization, challenging the authority of the Afghan state and Western interests in the region. There is a $10 million bounty on Sirajuddin by the FBI.
Interests
1. Bigger Share of Power in IEA
The Haqqani Network has many cabinet positions in the IEA government. The head of the group, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is both a deputy emir and acting minister of interior, putting him in charge of the appointment of provincial and district governors. When Sirajuddin became deputy emir, he appointed his uncle, Khalilullah, acting minister of refugees, as head of the Peshawar Shura. According to the UNSC assessment, the Haqqani network operates as a lynchpin of the Taliban and al Qaeda relationship with more than 10,000 jihadis operating in Afghanistan.
2. Group Cohesion
The Taliban regime could face the most serious threat from within. That is why it is imperative for the group to stay united in peace as they did in war. The leaders of two major factors, Mullah Yaqoub and Sirajuddin Haqqani have cordial working relations. They know there are benefits to staying united and losses to factionalizing.